Turkish first lady marks desertification, drought day

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's first lady on Wednesday marked the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought that is celebrated annually on June 17 across the world.

"Land is life, love, homeland, our future. Our children do not deserve a world with depleted resources, rather blue sky, fertile lands and verdant forests," Emine Erdogan said on Twitter.

This fact should be remembered again on the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, she stressed.

Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations, according to the UN.

Observed on June 17 each year, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a UN observance day which focuses on changing public attitudes toward the leading driver of desertification and land degradation.